Tree Trimmer Chris F. Puts Our Flex Fire Hose^® Pants To The Test – And Proclaims Them Tops For Flexibility

Crouching, stretching and climbing branch to branch while wielding a chainsaw 70 feet in the air? It's just another day on the job for Chris. “As a tree trimmer I'm constantly climbing and positioning myself to make cuts. Flexibility is key and extreme steps are normal since trees just don't have evenly spaced rungs like a ladder.”

It's a tough job that's never the same two days in a row. “Obviously no two trees are the same so every pruning job is different,” says Chris. Thinning branches to improve tree health or prevent the spread of diseases like Dutch Elm also requires an eye for art – and a willingness to go out on a limb. “You want a healthy tree, but you also want a happy homeowner, so tricky cuts that do both are just part of the job.”

Removal projects, where a mature tree has been damaged or is diseased, are the trickiest. In Chris's experience small residential yards and big, old trees don't mix.

“We get into some really tight spots where the tree has grown right up to the house, or between two houses. There's no place for the tree to fall so we have to climb the tree and take it down piece by piece right from the top.”

All that climbing and moving requires a gear that's both tough and flexible. “Last year I invested in a high-dollar harness to give me more flexibility. But then I found my big name work pants actually held the harness back.”

Then Chris tried a pair of our Flex Fire Hose® Pants. They gave him all the features of our famous work pants but in an 8-oz. Fire Hose canvas that's about a third lighter, while packing the same abrasion resistance. The flex construction gave him extra stretch.

“I literally make reaches and climbs I can't do in ANY other pair of pants!”

So how did they stack up? “The difference was immediate. The extra flex in these pants makes climbing and stretching so much easier. I literally make reaches and climbs I can't do in ANY other pair of pants – and I'm finally getting my money's worth out of that climbing saddle!”

And, of course, Flex Fire Hose pants give you all the hard-working features working guys have loved for years: hidden crotch gusset for extra ease. Mid-leg utility pockets with tuckable pocket flaps and hook-and-loop closure. Triple-stitched seams for extra toughness.

“Absolutely these are the best pants I've ever worn on the job,” says Chris. “As soon as I got out of the tree I told all the guys on my crew, they HAD to get a pair of these pants.”